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EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
National reforms in higher education

Hungary

14.Ongoing Reforms and Policy Developments

14.4National reforms in higher education

Last update: 28 September 2022

2022

Scholarships for disadvantaged students

The “Útravaló” (Path) program provides support for disadvantaged and multiply disadvantaged pupils and students from the last year of basic school (ISCED 1-2) until the HE graduation. The scholarship program has four sub-programs: Path to upper secondary school, Path to profession, Path to graduation, Path to diploma. Due to the governmental 2.5 billion HUF subsidy, more than ten thousand children and young people can benefit from this performance-based scholarship program, the amount depends on the academic results of the pupil/student gained at the end of the previous school year.

The Roma Nationality Study Scholarships are also open for application, students who attend a Roma nationality upper secondary school and achieve an academic study average of 4 are eligible.

2021

Trust fund model in Higher Education

Hungarian higher education institutions – colleges and universities – may have different maintainers and can operate in different maintainer models. The public trust fund model was created in order to have a more open model responding to the needs of both the economy and public services and relying on innovation and talent. The maintainer of 21 previously state-owned universities have been changed to such trust funds. As of September 2021, more than 180,000 students began their studies at a model-changing institution, which is nearly 70% of the students.

New funding system in Higher Education

As of September 2021, the educational funding in HE based on the number of students became  complemented with separate funding for research and infrastructure. As a consequence, the new system has three pillars and is more adjusted to different HE activities.

2020

Moratorium on repayments

The moratorium on repayments of the Student Loan took effective from 18 March 2020 as a result of the situation caused by the coronavirus worldwide. The moratorium had been lengthened until 31 October 2021. From 1 November 2021, the moratorium on loan repayment is only be available to a certain group of customers. The new phase of the moratorium will run until December 31, 2022.

Student Loan Plus

The objective of the Student Loan Plus is to give students a one-off, interest-free general-purpose loan in this new crisis situation. This loan helps students who may have lost their job or have difficulties in paying their studies. It can be taken in parallel with Student Loan 1 and 2 but not in case the student has Language Learning Student Loan.

ITE of teachers teaching at ISCED 2

The HE Act increases the number of semesters from 8 to at least 10 for the undivided ITE programme of teachers teaching in lower secondary education. The programme period includes two semesters of in-school training.

Extension of Klebelsberg Training Scholarship

To support young people who want a teacher career the government has decided to extend the Klebelsberg Training Scholarship. From 1 September 2020 in addition to the students preparing for teaching at lower and upper-secondary level and in SEN education, the support is also  available to students preparing for teaching at primary level.

Student normative

The change affecting higher education is that the student normative increased from 128 520 HUF to 166 600 HUF from February. This is significant because the institutions pay the students’ social and study grants from this normative, so the monthly allowance became higher.

Admission requirement: Advanced level Upper Secondary School Leaving exam

As of 2020, the basic and universal requirement for admission to an initial HE programme (BA, BSc or equivalent) and undivided master’s programmes is that the applicant complete at least one subject of the upper secondary school leaving exam at advanced level or he/she has a HE degree (BA/BSC from previous studies, or college qualifications from the pre- Bologna system).

Eötvös Loránd Research Network

The government decided to restructure research and development: the research institutions of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences were transferred to the newly created Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), which consists of the Secretariat of ELKH and other research centres, institutions and research groups operated by ELKH as central budgetary bodies or business organizations.